in a roundabout way.

Roundabout, noun: a road junction formed around a central circle about which traffic moves in one direction only —called also circle, traffic circle.

Roundabouts and I aint talking right now.

Well, the big curvaceous, rotundas ones….Ok, I’ll engage in a little blah blah conversation. Just to be, like, polite. You know…to avoid a scene.
But those uptight little circumferential, self centered ones? Forget it.

You see, we had this wee falling out a ways back, after I rode Thumper¹ in to one just a little too fast and just a little too flippantly.
Another motorcyclist giving way to me just shook his head as I performed a few most uncool corrective manoeuvres² to stay on line. This was not much helped by the fact that I was watching him shake his head instead of looking over where I needed to go.
I ended up riding off in a huff.

Since then I have this thing with tight, pert roundabouts.
OK here we go. This ones a small one, but its not so bad. Slow down. Select the right gear. Look over at the exit point and lean gently into it. Breathe. Its just a circle man. Go around it. Go around about it.

Alas, as I said, we are not talking right now, and my brain just wants to send my body off on this very un-around trajectory. Like payback. That’ll teach it, stupid roundy thing.
I start looking over at where I definitely do not want to go, and of course, thats were I head off to. Then I have to slow right down and be uncool all over again.

Roundabouts were first developed by the UK Transport Research Laboratory in the late 1960’s
Their introduction resulted in a reduction in intersection accidents for both drivers and pedestrians ( although there is a higher incidence of accidents involving cyclists) due both to the lower speeds required to negotiate them, and the fact that all the traffic is all moving in the same direction.

For me, however, they are this little annoying thing that has gotten under my skin, and whenever I see a roundabout sign I can feel myself tense up in anticipation. I sit outside my favorite cafe on Sundays sipping coffee and watching all forms of two wheeled transport dance around the small roundabout located across the way. From grey-ponytailed old men on their stretched out cruisers, to spunky leather clad girls on their Ducati’s. Roundabouts are but a blip on their journey. Sometimes they even go right around 360 in-your-face degrees just to show how easy it is.

So after my coffee. When I’m sure all the motorcyclists have left, I spend some time going around the block and doing battle with the multiple roundabouts in the area. Facing my fears³.
No doubt there is my problem. Right there.
Its not a battle. Its a path.

Its just a roundabout man. Build a bridge!

Footnotes:

1. Thumper is my BMW G650GS motorcycle [↩]
2. which mainly involved me flailing my arms and legs like some autistic gyroscope [↩]
3. Im sure the people at Tilley’s Cafe think that Im some sort of poser going around and around the block — if only they knew. [↩]